Below are links to reports from government agencies and business research groups.
These statistical reports are used by economists to gauge and forecast business conditions.
Additionally, a calendar of economic indicators
is available.

Beige Book Report

Report released 8 times a year by the Federal Reserve Board.
Summary of regional economic conditions, prepared by the 12 Federal
Reserve Banks for use at the central bank's next Federal Open
Market Committee meeting.

Business Inventories

Report released monthly by the Commerce Department.
Measure of the stocks of unsold goods held by U.S. businesses.

Business Productivity and Costs

Report released 8 times a year by the Labor Department.
Measure of productivity -- defined as output per number of hours
worked -- in the business and the nonfarm business sectors of
the workplace.

Construction Spending

Report released monthly by the Commerce Department.
Measure of construction spending on residential, nonresidential
and government projects.

Consumer Credit

Report released monthly by the Federal Reserve Board.
Measure of money loaned to individuals, usually on an unsecured
basis, requiring monthly repayment. Bank loans, credit cards and
installment credit are examples of consumer credit.

Consumer Price Index

Report released monthly by the Labor Department.
Gauge of inflation that measures changes in the prices of consumer
goods. The index is based on a list of specific goods and services
purchased in urban areas.

Current Account

Report released quarterly by the Commerce Department
The current account is the broadest measure of U.S. trade with
the rest of the world. It includes data not only about goods but
also about merchandise and services, as well as some financial
transactions.

Durable-Goods Orders

Report released monthly by the Commerce Department.
New orders for manufactured durable goods and shipments of durable
goods. A durable good is a product that is expected to last more than
three years.

E-Commerce Retail Sales

Report released quarterly by the Commerce Department.
Sales of goods and services over the Internet, extranets,
Electronic Data Interchange or other online system.
Payment may or may not be made online.

Employment Cost-Index

Report released quarterly by the Labor Department.
Changes in compensation costs, including wages, salaries and employer
costs for employee benefits.

Employment Situation

Report released monthly by the Labor Department.
Tally of payrolls and the unemployment rate.

Existing-Home Sales

Report released monthly by the National Association of Realtors.
Regional report on home resale activity.

Factory Orders

Report released monthly by the Commerce Department.
Tally of U.S. manufacturers' shipments, inventories and orders
for consumer goods. Includes revised report for durable goods.

Gross Domestic Product

Report released monthly by the Commerce Department.
The total value of goods and services produced within the economy.

Housing Starts

Report released monthly by the Commerce Department.
Monthly tally of the number of new privately-owned housing units
started and housing permits issued by local government authorities.

Import and Export Price Indexes

Report released monthly by the Labor Department.
Tally of price changes in U.S. imports and exports.

Institute for Supply Management Index

Report released monthly by the Institute for Supply Management.
Report on the pace of manufacturing activity in the U.S. as a
whole and in specific metropolitan areas. The report is based
on data compiled from a survey of purchasing executives at more
than 300 industrial companies.

Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization

Report released monthly by the Federal Reserve Board.
Output at U.S. factories, utilities and mines. Capacity utilization
is a measure of U.S. industrial production as a percentage of
total production capacity.

Initial Jobless Claims

Report released weekly by the Labor Department.
Number of Americans filing new claims for state unemployment insurance.

International Trade

Report released monthly by the Commerce Department.
Tally of U.S. international trade in goods and services, or the
difference between a country's imports and exports.

Leading Economic Indicators

Report released monthly by the Conference Board.
Composite of 10 economic measurements developed to help forecast
likely changes in the economy as a whole.

New-Home Sales

Report released monthly by the Commerce Department.
Sales of new single-family houses.

Nonmanufacturing Index

Report released monthly by the Institute for Supply Management.
Report on the pace of business activity in non-manufacturing sectors. The report
is based on a survey of 370 purchasing and supply-management professionals in more
than 60 different sectors.

Personal Income and Outlays

Report released monthly by the Commerce Department.
Tally of wage and salary disbursements and of personal consumption
expenditures.

Philadelphia Federal Reserve Business Outlook Survey

Report released monthly by the
Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Survey of regional business activity.

Producer Price Index

Report released monthly by the Labor Department.
A group of statistics used to gauge inflation at the wholesale
level. The index for finished goods, which tracks commodities
that won't undergo further processing and are ready for sale to
the ultimate user, is the most prominently reported of the statistics
and is released monthly.

Retail Sales

Report released monthly by the Commerce Department.
Sales of durable and non-durable goods sold to consumers.

Reuters/University of Michigan Survey of Consumers

Report released monthly by the University of Michigan/Reuters.
A monthly survey of consumer sentiment based on telephone
interviews with approximately 500 adults living in the 48 coterminous
states plus the District of Columbia.

Unemployment Report

Report released monthly by the Labor Department.
Tally of payrolls and the unemployment rate.

Wholesale Trade Sales and Inventories

Report released monthly by the Commerce Department.
Tally of the sales and inventories of U.S. merchant wholesalers.